A Thailand jungle adventure like no other: wildlife and nighttime frights in Khao Sok
- An overnight tour in Khao Sok, a national park to the north of Phuket, takes visitors far off the beaten path and into a forest rich with history
- The rainforest was once riddled with gangsters but is now a haven for wildlife – and the occasional rough-sleeping tourist
It is pitch black and rustling sounds in the jungle are coming closer. Our candles have gone out and if it weren’t for the light from the dying campfire, I wouldn’t be able to see my hands in front of my face.
Khai, the seasoned guide I’ve entrusted with my life, is snoring peacefully in his double-layered nylon hammock, untroubled by the heavy rain that has been battering down on our tarpaulin covers.
“The campfire will repel wild animals,” he said, before falling asleep, but staring now at the glowing embers, I can’t relax enough to drop off. I haven’t the slightest idea of how to keep a campfire alight in the driving rain, let alone start one, and the chorusing frogs and crickets aren’t going to teach me.
Much as I have been loving the sense of adventure, the smell of wet leaves and the break from Thailand’s hot, humid weather, the snapping of twigs and approaching strides have me fretting in my hammock.
Is it a sun bear, a gibbon, a tiger?
